Abraham Denmark New Asia Program Director at Wilson Center

WASHINGTON–The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars is pleased to announce the appointment of Abraham M. Denmark as the new Director of the Center’s Asia Program. He will be a Senior Fellow at the Wilson Center’s Kissinger Institute on China and the United States.

Denmark brings deep experience both inside and outside of government. Prior to joining the Wilson Center, Denmark served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia, where he supported the Secretary of Defense and other senior U.S. government leaders in the formulation and implementation of national security strategies and defense policies toward the region. He has also previously worked as Senior Vice President for Political and Security Affairs at The National Bureau of Asian Research, a Fellow at the Center for a New American Security, and held several positions in the U.S. Intelligence Community.

“Mr. Denmark’s exceptional work at top policy research institutions and the U.S. Department of State epitomizes the combination of deep scholarship and policy application we pursue here at the Wilson Center,” said Jane Harman, Director, President and CEO of the Wilson Center. “He will enhance the Asia Program’s reputation as a critical resource for the Washington policymaking community and beyond.”

“I am thrilled to join the Wilson Center,” said Denmark. “It is one of the top think tanks in the world, and I’m excited to work with such a dynamic and influential team. Asia’s importance to the United States continues to grow, and the Wilson Center’s Asia Program will be a critical voice in Washington on these issues.”

Mr. Denmark has authored dozens of articles and edited several books on the Asia-Pacific and U.S. national security. He has testified multiple times before the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, as well as the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. His commentary has been featured in major media outlets in the United States and in Asia, including CNN, National Public Radio, BBC, the Financial Times, Foreign Policy, and the Atlantic.

In January 2017, Mr. Denmark received the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service. He also received the Order of the Resplendent Banner from the Republic of China (Taiwan), was made an Honorary Admiral in the Navy of the Republic of Korea, and was named a 21st Century Leader by the National Committee on American Foreign Policy.

The Wilson Center, chartered by Congress as the living memorial to President Woodrow Wilson, is the nation’s key non-partisan policy forum. In tackling global issues through independent research and open dialogue, the Center informs actionable ideas for Congress, the administration, and the broader policy community.